Bathing suit



July 26, 1932.

G. GASSEL BATHING SUIT Filed June 29. 1951 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented July 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GA'VIL GASSEL, OF HIGHLAND PARK, MICHIGAN, ASSIG'NOR '10. DAVID SEGAL, OF

' DETROIT, MICHIGAN BATHING SUIT Application filed -June 29,

It is customary at beaches and summer resorts to wear a bathing suit throughout the Whole day or at least for several hours, but this practice ,is often annoyingly interrupted 5 by the natural necessities of removing the garment from time to time. The conventional bathing suits make no provision for these requirements and thereforemust be removed entirely.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bathing suit which may be worn continuously for a long period of time and yet accommodate itself to natural requirements such as the excretionalprocesses without the necessity of complete removal. More specifically, the trunk of the suit is formed with a slit of proper length and location, and this slit is adapted to be opened or closed by a fastener of the zipper or slide-operated .20 type. Moreover, the invention provides means such as ;flaps for concealing the fastener frpm View, if desired, and also for preventing contact between the fastener and the body of the wearer.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description and in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bathing suit madeaccording to the invention;

so Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the-line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout. In Figure 1 is illustrated a bathing suit having a bodice portion 1 with shoulder straps 2 at the upper end. The lower part of the bodice is preferably formed as a skirt 3 beneath which is secured a trunk portion 4 by a seam 5 substantially at the waist-line. The trunk is formed with two leg portions 6 in theusual manner. The skirt 3 maybe eliminated and the trunk formed as an integral part of the bodice as in the fabrication of a one-piece bathing suit.

The crotch of the trunk is slit as at 7 along a line extending from the front to the rear of the garment or, in other words, from the 1931. Serial No.'547,480.

front center to the rear center of the waistline as clearly illustrated in Figure 1. The slit is opened and closed by a fastener of the well known zipper or slide-operated type attached preferably to a surface of the garment material rather than directly to the edges of the slit. Thus, the garment is so cut and designed that the edges 8 of the slit are normally in contact with each other. The interlocking fastener elements 9 are then secured to the garment by means of webs or strips 10 stitched at 11 to one of the'surfaces of the garment material, preferably the outer surface, and at opposite sides of the slit 7. The interlocking elements 9 are engaged by 5 a slider 12 by means of which they may be interlocked or separated as well known in the art.

In order that the fastener may be rendered inconspicuous, the surface more remote from the slit 7 is covered by flaps 13 held'by the stitching 11 and having their free edges in contact with each other as shown in Figure 2. Access to the slider 12 is readily obtained by spreading the flaps. .When the opposed l6 fastener elements are separated by means of the slider, the slit 7 may be spread to provide an opening of the necessary size. Obviously, the flaps 13 may be woven as an integral part of the material constituting the trunk por- 0 tion of the garment.

The portion 1 may also be slit vertically as at 14'for nursing purposes and provided with interlocking fastener elements 15 securedto the material at the edges of the slit. These elements are also of the slide-operated type and are fastened together or separated by operation of the slide 16. This fastener may be exposed at the outer surface, but in order to avoid contact between it and the body of the wearer, it may be stitched to the material at the outer side of the severed parts 17 of the material and at both sides of the slit in such a manner as to cover the fastener as illustrated in Figure 3.

It will now be evident that the bathing suit described herein may be worn continuously. for several hours or throughout the day without the necessity of removal from time to time.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim is 2-- 1. A bathing suit comprising a bodice portion and a trunk portion, said trunk portion including two legs and being slit therebetween from the front center to the rear center of the waistline a slide-operated fastener V at said slit, and a s rt depending from said waistline over a portion of said trunk and concealing said slit and fastener.

2. A bathing suit comprising a bodice portion and a trunk ortion, said trunk portion includingtwo egs and being slittherebetween from the front center to the rear center of the waistline,'the edges of the suit material at said slit being substantially in contact with each other, and a slideoperated fastener secured to the outer surface of said material and bridging said slit, whereby said material spaces said fastener from the body of the wearer, and a skirt depending from said waistline over a portion of said trunk and concealing said slit and fastener.

3. A bathing suit comprising a bodice por tion and a trunk portion, said trunk portion including two legs and being slit therebetween fromthe front center to the rear center of the waistline, the edges of the suit material at said slit being substantially in contact with each other, a slide-operated fastener secured to the outer surface of said material and bridging said slit, whereby said material spaces said fastener from the body of the wearer, and flaps secured to said ma terial and covering the fastener outwardly to confine the same, and a skirt depending from said waistline over a portion of said trunk and concealing said slit and fastener.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GAVIL GASSEL. 

